Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California
San Francisco – Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined Congressman Jared Huffman, Congressman Kevin Mullin and Bay Area health care leaders and advocates at the North East Medical Services (NEMS) Clinic in Chinatown to highlight the devastating impact of the Republican Shutdown on health care access and affordability for millions of working families.
Pelosi underscored that the shutdown, driven by Donald Trump and Republicans, threatens to strip away Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits that keep health coverage affordable for Americans. Without immediate action, hundreds of thousands will lose their health care and millions more will face skyrocketing premiums—including nearly 26,000 people in San Francisco.
Watch the full press conference here. View photos from today’s event here.
Read Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s remarks as delivered below:
Speaker Emerita Pelosi. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here this morning. We’re so proud of this place. Dr. Kenneth Tai, thank you for hosting us here at NEMS PACE Center in Chinatown. We’re grateful for the work that you do.
This is one of my favorite places because it meets the needs of the people in a way that is an intellectual resource to us back as to what really works. Not Dr. Tai’s words, but mine—very different from what the Republican Shutdown is exacting on our country, on the health and well-being of the American people.
I’m so proud to be joined by Kevin Mullin, whom I have the honor of sharing the representation of San Francisco with. And we’re very proud to welcome from across the Golden Gate Bridge, Congressman Jared Huffman. In 15 months, he will be the chairman—now he’s the top Democrat—will be the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee. All along, he’s been a real champion for America’s working families and we’re honored to have him with us.
We are here today to call attention and to hear what it means to people in their lives to what the Republicans are doing with this shutdown of the government and to make sure people understand what the challenge is. We could not vote for a bill that contained within it, and the other legislation they passed this year, cutting a trillion dollars out of Medicaid and SNAP. A trillion dollars. Several hundred billion dollars out of SNAP, for feeding the children.
A few days ago, earlier this week, we celebrated the 48th anniversary of SNAP when it was signed by President Carter. Feed the children, WIC—women, infant, children—seniors, Meals on Wheels, and the rest. They would rather take food out of the mouths of babies so they can give a tax cut to the richest people in our country who really don’t need it. And then on top of that, $600 billion out of Medicare and a complete horror show when it comes to the Affordable Care Act. Now, I feel proprietary about the Affordable Care Act and what it has meant to millions of people.
Now with their legislation, which they wanted us to vote for—get out of here—which doubled premiums for many people in our country and again that’s practically unaffordable for most of them. So that’s what the fight is about. Who are you here for? America’s working families or are you here for the richest people in our country? Clearly, the Democrats are on the side of America’s working families and the Republicans are there for the richest people in our country at the expense of Medicare, Medicaid and even Social Security. They have said, ‘We haven’t touched the benefits,’ but they’re firing the staff. In the spring when they were doing this, this was one of the most objected to provisions of what they were doing: to take away the staff from Social Security to put obstacles to people getting their benefits.
So, after months of making life harder, more expensive, Trump and Republicans are now inflicting a painful shutdown on the American people because they refuse to protect America’s health care. And if Congress doesn’t extend the Affordable Care’s premium tax credits immediately, hundreds of thousands of families—now we’re talking about California only—will lose their health care. Millions more will see their costs skyrocket, including 1.7 million families in California. Working families are already getting invoices about skyrocketing costs. These have gone out on the first of October. Current estimates show Americans would see their out-of-pocket premiums increase by over 100% if Republicans refuse to act.
Republicans acted quickly to pass tax cuts for their billionaire buddies by July 4th. Oh, that was big. Fourth of July, liberation day. We’re giving money to the high end, taking it from the poor. Reverse Robin Hood. Where is Republican urgency to lower health care costs for families, farmers, small business owners and veterans? Our veterans are taking a big hit in this as well.
Democrats are united. Wouldn’t you say? We were in our Caucus just so proud of our leader, Hakeem Jeffries, going in there making the case For The People. Democrats are united. We want to quickly reopen government while addressing the Republican health care crisis and lowering health care costs for working families across America. Donald Trump and Republicans must quit trying to make the shutdown even worse and instead come back to the negotiating table so we can reach a bipartisan agreement to open up the government.
Now, just so you understand, we passed the Affordable Care Act. We knew when we did it, we had to make a fight in the country and we said we’re not going away until we pass this legislation. If there’s something in the way that’s blocking it, we’ll push open the gate. If the gate doesn’t open, we’ll climb the fence. If that doesn’t work, we’ll pole vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’re going to parachute in.
When we passed the bill, the press said, ‘Which one did you do?’ I said, ‘Well, what we did is we pushed open the gate because the American people were with us there, pushing open that gate. The courage of our Members, but the mobilization of the people.’ And so when what’s his name said, when he became president in 2017, ‘The Affordable Care Act sucks’—forgive me, but I’m just quoting the leader of the free world. ‘Affordable Care Act sucks.’ We said, ‘No, it doesn’t. It cures.’
And we had 10,000 events around the country where people told their stories. We’ve had this conversation among ourselves. Told their stories: my baby was born with a heart problem, cost millions of dollars in doctor bills, Affordable Care Act took care of that. My wife had breast cancer. My father had a stroke. Different people telling their stories. Not talking about provisions of the bill. Not talking about Democrats versus Republicans—just their own story. Nothing more eloquent than that, especially to a Member of Congress.
So again, this is what we’re doing. We’re mobilizing throughout the country again to make sure the public’s voice is heard on this and that the Republicans in Congress know that the public is on to what they are doing. And so in that spirit, I have the honor of sharing the representation of San Francisco with Kevin Mullin. He’s going to speak next. But I also want to join in welcoming, as I mentioned earlier, the future chair of the Natural Resources Committee, a real leader in the Congress on issues that relate the health and well-being of the American people, Jared Huffman.
Now, it is my pleasure to yield the floor to the distinguished gentleman from San Francisco and San Mateo, Kevin Mullin.